American Atheists, an atheist civil rights group dedicated to
atheists’ civil rights and the separation of religion and government,
announced today that the “Stand Up for Religious Freedom” rallies to
occur nationwide on June 8 are a misnomer and blatantly ignore the
intent of the First Amendment. The coordinators and coalition of groups
supporting the rallies are equally supporting theocracy and religious
oppression: the opposite of what they are claiming to support.

Blair Scott, Communications Director, stated, “Religious freedom is
guaranteed to the individual: not a collection of individuals or an
organization. A church does not have religious freedom: the individual
congregants do. A collection of religious persons do not have religious
freedom: the individuals in that collection do. You cannot amass your
individual freedoms to trump the freedoms of others.”

The rallies are being put together by a coalition of well-known
groups who continually pursue ways to violate the separation of church
and state, including the main coordinating group, the Pro-Life Action
League.

Dave Silverman, President of American Atheists, said, “This
demonstration is a protest against religious equality. The protestors
are demanding equal rights to support their church’s position,
essentially subjugating America’s secular law under their religious
dogma. How can we have equality if the government changes its laws to
suit one religion?”

Religious freedom applied to this situation means that women and
their partners can decide whether to use birth control pills or any
other legal contraceptive they and their doctors see fit. It does not
mean that a religious-based business can deny these options.

AJ Johnson, Development Director, observed, “The rallies are not only
a misnomer, but an insult to the secular principles embedded in our
Constitution. These groups are not promoting freedom; they are using
specific religious beliefs to restrict women’s rights and access to
healthcare. This is an attempt to enforce religious oppression by these
groups and should not affect our public policy.”

"IN THRUST WE TRUST"

"We were conservative Jews and that meant we obeyed God's Commandments until His rules became a royal pain in the ass."